NO PLACE TO CALL HOME

Transcription

1 REPORT NO PLACE TO CALL HOME THE SOCIAL IMPACTS OF HOUSING UNDERSUPPLY ON YOUNG PEOPLE Jenny Pennington with Dalia Ben-Galim and Graeme Cooke December 2012 IPPR 2012 Institute for Public Policy Research

2 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Jenny Pennington is a researcher at IPPR. Dalia Ben-Galim is associate director for family, community and work at IPPR. Graeme Cooke is research director at IPPR. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors would like to thank the Wates Family Enterprise Trust for their support and encouragement during the course of the project, and Glenn Gottfried, Tim Finch and Nick Pearce at IPPR as well as former IPPR colleague Andy Hull for their input and guidance along the way. In addition, Mark Clare and John Stewart provided invaluable comments on an earlier draft. Responsibility for the research and the views expressed remain with the authors. Most of all, we would like to thank the young people who took the time to share their stories. We hope the report does justice to their views and aspirations. ABOUT IPPR IPPR, the Institute for Public Policy Research, is the UK s leading progressive thinktank. We produce rigorous research and innovative policy ideas for a fair, democratic and sustainable world. We are open and independent in how we work, and with offices in London and the North of England, IPPR spans a full range of local and national policy debates. Our international partnerships extend IPPR s influence and reputation across the world. IPPR 4th Floor 14 Buckingham Street London WC2N 6DF T: +44 (0) E: Registered charity no This paper was first published in December The contents and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) only. This independent report has been prepared and issued by IPPR with sponsorship from the Wates Family Enterprise Trust. The views and conclusions contained within the report are the responsibility of IPPR and should not be interpreted as a representation of the views and opinions of the Wates Family Enterprise Trust. IDEAS to CHANGE LIVES

3 CONTENTS Executive summary...2 The social impact of the undersupply of housing...2 What should happen now? Introduction The causes of housing undersupply...8 Low levels of house-building...8 High rates of household growth The direct impacts of housing undersupply...12 Affordability of homeownership...12 Social housing and the rental market The knock-on effects of housing undersupply on young people...16 Stifled ambitions for life and career...16 Lack of control and independence...17 Constraints on relationships and starting a family...18 Weaker sense of community belonging Young people s housing aspirations Generational aspects of housing undersupply...28 The intergenerational perspective...28 Challenges for the future What needs to be done?...33 Recommendations...33 Conclusion...35 References

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The social impact of the undersupply of housing It is well known that there is an undersupply of housing in the UK. Despite being one of the richest countries in the world, we are failing to provide enough homes for our people. The social impact of this particularly on young people is less well known. Faced with high levels of youth unemployment, stagnant wages and tuition fees, this generation of young people face different challenges to their parents. In the wider context of high prices for homeownership and rentals, insufficient homes and rising living costs, young people are finding it tough. This report explores the social impacts of the undersupply of housing on young people. Through quantitative and qualitative research, we found that, although it is still a strong aspiration with 88 per cent of young people aged wanting to own their own home in 10 years time homeownership is thought to be unattainable for a majority. Fifty-one per cent of those currently renting thought that they would not be able to own in the next 10 years. Young people were realistic about needing to compromise and make sacrifices. But, unable to see how this aspiration can be fulfilled, a sense of frustration has set in. Current options were seen to be stifling ambition, career goals and family plans. And this often-negative impact is affecting a significant majority of young people. Many of their parents, as well, are caught in the position of wanting to help their children to buy while still securing their own future at the same time. House-building has not kept pace with demographic change The underlying issue is that house-building has not kept pace with demographic and social trends, creating a basic problem of undersupply. There has been significant growth in the number of households over the last few decades, largely driven by an ageing population. Other factors which help to explain the increase in households include a greater diversity of family types and the decision of many people to delay their plans to start a family. In response to these pressures, house-building has simply not kept pace. Factors like planning constraints and a lack of finance go some way towards explaining this shortage. With future projections suggesting that these trends are likely to continue, there are significant implications for a majority of young people. Set against that background, our research has unearthed the voices of young people and in doing so has enriched our understanding of the some of the most profound challenges. Stifled ambition The clear message from our research was that the undersupply of housing is holding young people back. For many young people, their housing situation negatively affects their ability to reach their own meaningful life goals. When I m by myself I feel like I can actually be the person I want to be, the full potential of who I am. I always feel like there s part of me who I have to hide from [my parents] if that makes sense there might be parts of them that I don t want them to know about me. Female, 23, Sheffield Time and time again, young people reflected on how their housing situation contributed to stifling their potential, particularly around life ambitions and career aspirations. This was often more acute for those still living with their parents, especially as they were moving 2

5 into their late 20s. One teacher we interviewed felt undermined professionally because she was still living with her parents. There are now half a million more young people (aged 20 34) living with their parents than in 1997, and 3 million in total. The insecurity of many young people s housing circumstances also had an impact on their levels of life satisfaction, with our analysis showing that those who own their home have significantly higher levels of satisfaction than those who are renting. Constraints on family formation and relationships This stifling of potential also translated into how young people talked about their relationships. Perhaps not surprisingly, young people spoke about wanting housing stability before having children and many are choosing to delay having children in the absence of secure housing. The decision to have children is wrapped up in other issues such as work, income and personal preferences, but the anxiety and stress caused by housing instability was real. If we were renting I would never feel secure I just couldn t do it, as it would be at the back of my mind the whole time the landlord could have us out in months. Maybe that s irrational but I want to have a family and for me that means getting married, having children and having a home. Female, 28, Cambridgeshire This stood in contrast to some of the parents we spoke to who reflected on their experience and how much harder it is for their children and their friends. As long as you were in work [buying a house] was achievable, so you didn t really need to think about it until you were ready to settle down. Parent, Birmingham Keen to put down roots and start a family, older young people (broadly 28 35) we interviewed tended to want more stability. This search for stability was also critical to those who were looking to make the transition from their adolescent or student lifestyle. They reported finding it harder to form partner relationships, to socialise and to connect with family because of their living arrangements. Right now I m single. In the past I was with a girl who had a flat so we spent time there but the whole time I felt like a bit of loser. I went out with a woman who lived at home like me we had to meet up and go sit in the park and it felt like we were 15 and I m 27. Male, 27, County Durham A lack of safety and security Another key finding from our research was the lack of safety and security that many young people experience as a result of their housing situation. Some young people simply felt unsafe, living in areas they didn t want to, or with people they didn t necessarily know. One of the girls I lived with her boyfriend, who was quite involved in drugs, and [with] him and his friends being there all the time, it didn t really feel like our home. It got to the point where we had to say he couldn t be there all the time we had to have it out it wasn t easy. Female, 23, Sheffield 3

6 High housing costs lead to a greater reliance on debt to pay housing costs. And inaccessible housing leads to people needing to rely financially on family relationships, which not all young people will have at their disposal. Not feeling part of a community A stark distinction emerged between those who owned a home and those who rented a house in terms of their connection and investment in a community. New IPPR analysis finds that owning a home increases a person s sense of belonging to a neighbourhood as much as simply living there without owning for 14 years. For example, when controlling for all other variables, an individual who has lived in the same home for 20 years without owning it is likely to feel the same sense of neighbourhood belonging as someone who owns their home but has lived in it for just six years. Renters we heard from exhibited a greater ambivalence towards investing in a community, compared to those who owned. It never once occurred to me to speak with our neighbours where we were before then as soon as we bought this place we went round and introduced ourselves. I ve gone to the residency association meetings. I ve gotten really vexed about rubbish collections! Male, 27, London Although related to other areas, such as provision of local amenities, transport links, and jobs, the connection between homes and feeling part of a community was a strong theme and one that should not be overlooked by policymakers and developers. It s harder for this generation A consensus emerged from young people and their parents that it is harder to navigate the housing market for this generation compared to their parents. The gap between house prices and salaries limited choices in a way that the older generation did not experience. Back then you could borrow enough to buy a house a lot easier. Salaries aren t high enough now. Banks would lend something like 2.5 times your annual salary. As long as you were in work, this was achievable. Parent, Birmingham The consequence is widening inequality between families between insiders and outsiders. Some parents couldn t see how homeownership could ever be a priority, given all the other challenges that young people face. Housing is really the least of their worries I think. I read some of these reports about young people being unable to own and I just think REALLY? Buying a house is just so far beyond what this generation are looking at. How about the jobs, the debt? If my daughter could even move out of home that would be a big achievement. Parent, Derby Recognising the difficulties that their children are facing could soften some of the attitudes towards new building that is often associated with this generation of parents. 4

7 What should happen now? As our analysis has shown, the type, quality, size, cost and location of housing plays a major role in either supporting or preventing young people from making a success of their lives and fulfilling their aspirations. This affects millions of individual directly but also imposes real costs and lost potential for society as a whole. This poses a test for politics and its ability to meet the real challenges facing society and help people to solve their problems and pursue their dreams. This report presents a number of ways in which policymakers need to respond in order to create better opportunities for young people. Building more homes has to be central to that: this can be done through, among other things, reforming the planning system and creating new sources of finance and investment. But as we have seen, this will not be enough to fully transform the experience of young people. New ideas to create sustainable pathways towards homeownership will be necessary, as will reforms to the private rented sector, such as the creation of family tenancies that offer greater security. The challenges facing young people highlighted in this report point to other policy changes as well. IPPR has recommended a job guarantee for young people to mitigate the longterm scarring effect of being out of work for a significant period of time. And in response to the financial pressure that many young families face, particularly around childcare costs, we have made the case for high-quality, affordable childcare provision. Together with a more family-friendly work agenda, these types of policy changes could contribute to better supporting young people to fulfil their potential. There has been much public debate about the economic side of the housing story, but this research draws fresh attention to the social dimension. In particular, it shows how housing undersupply in combination with a number of other social, economic and cultural forces is having a real and substantial effect on the lived experience and future aspirations of young people. 5

8 1. INTRODUCTION There have been many reports written about the massive impact of housing supply on the health of the economy and state of household finances. Building houses generates jobs and growth, while also improving the functioning of the labour market and the productive capacity of the economy. Building more houses helps to keep a lid on prices whether for buyers or renters thereby containing the share of household budgets being spent on accommodation. Such insights are accurate and important, but this report is about something else. Over the last year, IPPR has been exploring the social impacts of housing, specifically of the undersupply of housing. We have studied the consequences for the social fabric of England of not building enough homes. In particular, our investigation has focused on the impacts and experiences of the generation of young people now entering a housing market that is stacked in favour of incumbents and those who are already wealthy. As well as interrogating a range of data, we have looked beyond the statistics to shine a light on how the undersupply of housing affects the lived experiences of young people and their ability to fulfil their aspirations. The arguments, findings and ideas presented in this report draw on extensive research, including secondary analysis of major longitudinal and household panel surveys, 1 original in-depth interviews 2 and focus groups with young people, 3 alongside new polling of a representative sample of year olds. 4 By seeking the views of parents, we have also considered the particular opportunities and challenges facing the current generation of young people, as well as gaining the parental perspective on their children s situation. High unemployment, rising student debt and the scaling back of state support for young people create an inhospitable backdrop for those moving into adulthood, and our analysis highlights the human side of that story. The central insight from this research is that undersupply is affecting the way young people experience the housing market in a series of real and significant ways, with knockon consequences for their everyday lives and future aspirations. In particular, this plays out through their tenure options: as homeownership and social housing move further out of reach for all but the richest and poorest respectively, young people are becoming more and more reliant on the private rented sector. However, these experiences also impact on young people s sense of control and independence, their safety and security, their ability to build relationships and start a family, and their chance to put down roots and become part of a community. Our research tells the stories of individual young people, with implications for society as a whole. The hopes and fears, choices and trade-offs, struggles and disappointments which are expressed in this report demonstrate that the housing market in this country is currently failing too many young people. 1 This included analysis of four studies: the Survey of English Housing/English Housing Survey, the Understanding Society study (University of Essex 2011), as well as two longitudinal cohort studies, the National Childhood Development Survey of people born in 1958 and the British Cohort Study of people born in This comprised interviews with members of two or three generations from eight different families, selected to reflect a broad cohort of young people in different housing situations, at different ages, with different educational and work experiences, from different social backgrounds and in a range of locations across England. 3 Two workshops were held in cities with different housing markets: one with seven young people in London, another with seven young people in Newcastle. 4 Polling of 1,553 people aged years old carried out by YouGov PLC for IPPR over the period October The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (18 30) based on age, gender and region. 6

9 It is not the case that the young people we spoke to want everything, with no sacrifice, immediately. They just want a chance to grow up, develop their lives, build careers and form relationships and they need decent quality, affordable homes in which to do so. The issues raised through our investigation have a range of causes and demand a number of responses from different actors. Building more homes will not solve all the problems, but it will be impossible to make much progress without it. In the next chapter, we briefly set out the main causes and drivers of housing undersupply, with a particular focus on the current constraints, before explaining the direct consequences of not building enough homes. We then go on to report the main bulk of our research findings and analysis, highlighting the ways in which housing undersupply feeds through into the everyday experiences of young people and the real impacts it has. The report then takes a step back to consider young people s housing aspirations, including both how these are shaped by their experience of the contemporary housing market and how hopeful they remain of realising them. This moves into a discussion of the generational aspects of housing undersupply, exploring the views of older parents and identifying the particular pressure on this cohort of young people. Finally, to conclude, we suggest some of the main steps which need to be taken to ensure the housing market has a much more positive impact on young people s lives, principally through dramatically increasing the level of house-building. 7

10 2. THE CAUSES OF HOUSING UNDERSUPPLY There has been significant growth in both the number of households and the number of homes across the latter half of the 20th century. The number of households in Britain grew from 20 million in 1981 to 26 million in 2011 (ONS 2011b, ONS 2011c) while the number of residential dwellings increased from nearly 22 million to just over 26 million over the same period (ONS 2011d). However, these headline figures disguise the very substantial mismatch between housing supply and demand that has built up over the last three decades. For example, this simple ratio does not account for whether available dwellings are the right size or in the right location to meet actual household demand (Meen et al 2008, Whitehead et al 2009). Furthermore, this data does not account for factors like ownership of second homes estimated at 651,000 in 2009 which constrains the availability of dwellings in some areas (Wong et al 2009). Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the level of hidden demand is not factored into this calculation. Analysis published by the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) estimated that the level of unmet housing need in England amounted to 2 million households in 2009 (Bramley 2010). 5 Indications suggest that the housing shortage is intensifying in recent years, new house-building has fallen well behind the rate of household growth. In 2011, 390,000 new households were formed in England while only 134,900 net additional homes were brought into use (CLG 2012a, ONS 2012). On current trends, this shortfall is set to continue. IPPR analysis has shown that there will be between 206, ,000 additional households per year between 2010 and If the rates of household formation and house-building continue to track trends seen over the last two decades then demand for housing in England will outstrip supply by 750,000 homes by 2025 (Schmuecker 2011). This is equivalent to the combined current housing demand of Birmingham, Liverpool and Newcastle, and pressure is expected in the south east in particular. These figures assume a rate of house-building that is consistent with that seen over the last 20 years around 160,000 new homes a year but housing output is actually running a fifth lower than this (see above). As a result, the gap between supply and demand is widening even more than current projections suggest. There are two factors driving this disparity: low levels of house-building and high rates of household growth. Low levels of house-building Net additions to housing stock have not kept pace with housing demand. As figure 2.1 shows, levels of house-building have dropped off significantly since the second half of the In recent years, housing output has continued to fall away. In 2010, only 102,570 homes were completed in England the lowest peacetime level since In 2011, only 111,250 homes were built. 6 5 These include households in a range of housing situations including those in overcrowded, poor-quality or inappropriate accommodation and young people living at home with parents. 6 See Live Tables on House Building : 8

11 Figure 2.1 Permanent dwellings completed, by tenure type, UK, , , , , , Local authorities Housing associations Private enterprise Source: CLG Live table 241 There are a number of factors behind the low level of house-building, from the availability of land to access to finance. The UK does not have a scarcity of land only 6 10 per cent of England is developed for housing (Morton 2012). Instead, problems have arisen through the slow release of land for development. Significant amounts of land held by public authorities have been held back from development, reducing opportunities for new housing to be built. Constraints in the planning system, including strict rules over land use, have also severely rationed the release of land for development and caused long lags between permission being sought and granted. Despite repeated attempts from successive governments to overcome or open up the planning system, access to land has proven to be and remains a major barrier. These constraints have contributed to driving up the cost of land itself significantly faster than the price of houses (Hull and Cooke 2012). The high cost of the land has consequences for the levels of finance required for development (Morton 2012). Access to finance has been very challenging, particularly in recent years. The financial crisis has made it particularly difficult for developers to secure private finance for new developments and harder for potential buyers to secure mortgages. The development of a housing bubble in the run-up to the financial crisis emphasises the dangers of relying on unsustainable lending as a way of supporting expansions in housing supply. As IPPR analysis has demonstrated, the housing market did not become particularly responsive to demand (Dolphin and Griffith 2011), and while the availability of finance is not the only reason behind low levels of supply, its unavailability, particularly at the level needed to cover the rising cost of rationed land, is a significant barrier to development. A significant change in the availability of finance for house-building across the last 30 years has been the large reductions in capital subsidy for housing. These cuts have been especially deep during the current spending review period (which has seen reductions of 60 per cent) but extend back across the last few decades. Recent cuts are just the latest act in the story of a radical shift in the balance of government spending on housing over 9

12 the latter part of the last century, away from building homes and towards subsidising rents. In the later 1970s, 80 per cent of public expenditure on housing went on building new affordable homes, with just 20 per cent devoted to cash benefits to help people pay their rent. Across the current four-year spending review period, the government will spend 95 billion on housing benefit (including more than 30 billion to private landlords, with little or no impact on supply) compared with just 4.5 billion on subsidies for new homes (Hull and Cooke 2012). Of course, there are other factors affecting the supply of housing. In order to understand net supply, it is important to factor in the impact of war losses, slum clearances or demolitions for redevelopment. IPPR analysis has shown that even when building rates have been buoyant, there has been a significant churn in the supply of housing (Schmueker 2011). The underoccupation of homes also constrains the availability of larger homes to households that need them. There are 7.9 million underoccupied homes in the UK, with the majority (88 per cent) being in the owner-occupied sector. Extra supply is crucial to enabling people to downsize from homes that they underoccupy (Schmuecker 2011). High rates of household growth The second half of the undersupply imbalance is rooted in the growth of housing demand. As the rate of house-building dropped away from the mid-1970s onwards, the rate of household formation continued to rise rapidly. Previous analysis by IPPR has identified that this combination of a slowdown in house-building and corresponding growth in household demand has led to a shortfall in supply that has varied between roughly 50,000 and 180,000 units a year since the 1980s. Clearly, population growth has played a central role in driving higher demand. However, the number of households being formed has outstripped population growth for decades: between 1971 and 2008, the population increased by only 10 per cent while the number of households in Great Britain rose by 34 per cent (ONS 2009). The UK s aging population explains a significant part of the growth in households. As life expectancy increases, people remain in their homes for longer, reducing the supply of properties available to new households. Figure 2.2 shows the UK s actual and projected population by age-group from 1971 to Between 1971 and 2010, the proportion of the population aged 65 and over increased by a quarter, from 13.4 per cent to 16.6 per cent. The population aged 85 and over has grown rapidly, from 0.9 per cent to 2.3 per cent of the total population over the same period. Moreover, these changes are projected to accelerate. The number of over-65s is expected to grow to 23.3 per cent of the total population by 2036; the number of over-85s is expected to double between 2010 and 2036, rising to just under 5 per cent of the population (ONS 2011a). Changes in family formation are also affecting the level of housing demand. Increases in longevity, changes in fertility rates and shifts in family structures have seen an increase in beanpole families : those with more generations but fewer members in each generation. Families are smaller and they are also more diverse. The proportion of households headed by a lone parent trebled between 1971 (4 per cent) and 2007 (12 per cent). There has also been a growth in step-families with dependent children (DCSF 2008) all contributing to more households overall. 10

13 Figure 2.2 Proportion of population by age, % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Source: Lawton and Silim 2012 Together these trends add up to a greater number of smaller households. In 1961, the size of the average household was 3.1 people; by 2010, this had declined to 2.4 people (ONS 2011b). The major shift here has come from the growth in single-person households, which have increased from 1.7 million in 1961 (or 12 per cent of all households) to 7 million in 2009 (or 29 per cent of all households). The majority of single-person households are comprised of older people, particularly older women, who have outlived their partner (ONS 2011b). Relationship breakdown and changes in family structures are also contributing to this significant social phenomenon (Stephens et al 2008). Household growth has also been driven by higher rates of inward migration among those of working age. Just under two-fifths of current household growth is predicted to be due to increases in net migration (Perry 2012). Internal migration has been important too, often driven by regional labour market imbalances. Over the last 20 years, household formation has happened unequally across the country. In 1991, the greater south east and the north of England (made up of the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber) were home to very similar populations, of 14.4 million and 14.3 million respectively. The population in the north then fell in the 1990s, before recovering in the 2000s, ending up at 14.9 million in 2011, up by 4 per cent across the whole period. By contrast, London and the south east grew throughout, at an accelerating rate, to reach 16.8 million by 2011, an overall rise of 17 per cent (Schmuecker 2011). Housing supply has failed to keep pace with the demographic and social trends that have driven housing demand. Projections suggest that the growth in household formation will continue, based on rising longevity, family change and inward migration. Household numbers in England are projected to grow by 27 per cent to 27.5 million in 2033 (ONS 2011c). Without substantial increases in the number of homes, the mismatch between houses and households is likely to worsen. The next chapter of this report gets under the skin of how these trends are affecting the lives of individuals, families and communities. 11

14 3. THE DIRECT IMPACTS OF HOUSING UNDERSUPPLY One of the primary impacts of housing undersupply is that it has contributed to house prices increasing rapidly. Over the last decade, in particular, prices have diverged widely from incomes. Affordability of homeownership Between 2001 and 2011, wages increased by 29 per cent while house prices increased by 94 per cent. In 2001, the average price of a home in England was 121,769, or 7.4 times greater than the average individual salary of 16,557. In 2011, average house prices are 236,518, or 11.1 times greater than the average individual salary of 21,330 (NHF 2012). As figure 3.1 shows, across the last 20 years the UK affordability ratio the ratio of household earnings and house prices has changed dramatically. Figure 3.1 Ratio of house prices and household earnings, UK, Source: Nationwide; calculations in Dolphin and Griffith Growth in house prices is, of course, influenced by a number of factors but the shortage of new housing supply has been critical (Stephens 2011). Kate Barker (2004) and in a later study, Tony Dolphin and Matt Griffith (2011) have identified the unresponsiveness of the UK housing market to growing demand across many decades as feeding into growing prices. In fact, modelling shows that large increases in supply may be required just to prevent affordability from worsening further (Stephens 2011). This growing unaffordability has caused a number of changes to the way that young people experience housing, particularly in relation to tenure. Most obviously, buying a home is now beyond the reach of most young people. Mortgages are only obtainable by those who are able to provide a large deposit and have a high and steady income. The consequence is that the number of households buying a home independently has slumped. In 1997, fewer than 10 per cent of first-time buyers under the age of 30 had help from family or friends; by 2005, this figure had risen to 45 per cent (Alakeson 2011). 12

15 Before 2007, the ability of young people to access the housing market, even with such high prices, was partially supported through access to mortgage lending, sometimes at an unsustainable level (Dolphin and Griffith 2011). After the financial crisis, the unaffordability of housing for all but the most stable or asset-rich has been compounded by restrictions on lending. Steve Wilcox (2010) estimates that since 2007 about 100,000 (mainly young) households are being prevented from entering the market each year. This is particularly acute for the squeezed middle. Vidhya Alakeson (2011) has shown that, under current arrangements, if low-to-middle earners saved 5 per cent of their new income each year then they would expect to spend as long as 31 years saving in order to buy their first home. These trends mean that homeownership is now in significant decline. Rates of homeownership grew from the early 1980s up until 2002, when 69.7 per cent of households owned their home. By 2010, this had shrunk to 64.7 per cent (Homeownership Alliance 2012). Social housing and the rental market Historically, those on lower incomes wanting a secure home may have looked to social housing, whether through the local council or, increasingly, through housing associations. However the lack of affordable housing, alongside other factors such as a loss of social homes through the right-to-buy provision has led to significant rationing of the social sector. The number of social housing units has declined from 5 million in 1980 (or 30 per cent of the housing market) (Feinstein 2008) to 4.0 million (or 18 per cent) in 2011 (ONS 2011d). There is significant unmet demand in this sector: 1.8 million households are on a waiting list for a social home, an increase of 76 per cent between 1997 and The significant mismatch between supply and demand has led to the tight rationing of social housing, making it inaccessible for households other than the most disadvantaged. The inaccessibility of both homeownership and social housing for young people has meant that many are living in private rented accommodation, with their parents or in shared housing. For many of those looking to form their own independent household, renting a home from a private landlord is the only option. Between 1999 and 2009, the number of households in the private rented sector grew by 1.5 million to 3.4 million households. In 2011, it accounted for 17 per cent of all households, compared to 9 per cent in 1991 (CLG 2011). A recent study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2011) suggests that 1.5 million more young people (aged 18 30) will live in the private rented sector over the period to 2020, because of continuing constraints on access to homeownership and social housing. While smallscale initiatives such as build-to-let have been responsible for part of this shift, the change is largely rooted in housing unaffordability due to undersupply (and the shifting of properties from owner-occupation to private renting). Figure 3.2 shows the strength of the relationship between affordability and demand for private renting. As affordability in an area decreases, the proportion of private rented accommodation increases. 7 DCLG Live table 600: 13

16 Figure 3.2 Relationship between house price affordability and private sector renting 35% 30% Private rented 25% 20% R 2 = % 10% Affordability for first-time buyers (ratio of average income to average income of first-time buyers aged 22 39) Source: Schmuecker 2011 The decline of homeownership and the growth in private renting has had a concentrated impact on young people, as the housing market is stacked against new entrants. As discussed below, many young people want the option of renting before they are ready to own. However, our research also found that aspirations change over time, especially at different transition points, such as when young people look to form families of their own. At this stage, homeownership invariably becomes a priority for them. Our poll shows that 88 per cent of young people want to own their own home within the next 10 years. However, the undersupply of housing means that young people are increasingly unable to make this transition to homeownership. While the private rented sector has previously been characterised as a tenure for students and young professionals, it is now accommodating a diverse set of households. Analysis by Shelter found that the number of households with children that are renting privately has doubled over the last five years (Shelter 2012a). As the choices available to young people have narrowed, private landlords have gained more power. Not only has homeownership become increasingly unaffordable, so have rents in the private sector. Across the 10 years to 2011, average rents in the sector have risen twice as fast as average wages (CLG 2012a). Shelter showed that in 2011 private rents were unaffordable (greater than 35 per cent of income) for those on median incomes in 55 per cent of local authority areas (Shelter 2011). These rises appear to be accelerating as the market continues to overheat. A recent survey of the residential lettings market by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS 2012) shows that rents grew by 4.3 per cent in the year to June 2012, with landlords projecting further rises of 3.9 per cent over the next 12 months. Our research shows that the unaffordability of renting was a major issue for the way that young people felt about the rental sector. The young people we polled said that the main factor that would make renting more attractive would be increased affordability (41 per cent). 14

17 Not only is renting expensive but high demand in the private sector reduces pressures in the market to drive improvements in housing quality. In 2006, half of private rented homes failed to meet the decent homes standard, compared with one-third of social and owneroccupied homes (Shelter 2012a). Although merely illustrative, our interviews highlighted experiences of poor-quality housing, the lack of control that people feel they have over housing choices, and the consequences of that combination. We had an issue when we moved in we kept finding maggots on the floor of the kitchen and it turned out they were coming from the ceiling there must have been something decomposing in the roof space. It was absolutely disgusting and the landlord took a week to answer his phone and another week to come around. In the end he said we would just have to wait for [the maggots] to go through their lifecycle as it would be too expensive to rip out the roof. We pushed him and he ended up doing something that cleared it up but it made me really angry. During those weeks I pounded the streets looking for somewhere else, anywhere and there was nothing that I could really afford. It left me feeling really frustrated that I had so little control over where I lived. Female, 28, London Long-term undersupply has had a number of fundamental effects on the UK housing market. Homeownership is out of reach for the majority of young people, while social housing is inaccessible to all but the most vulnerable households. This has led to a significant growth in the number of households, including families, living in the private rented sector. A mismatch between supply and demand for housing has strengthened the hand of housing suppliers, whether they are landlords or sellers. This reduces pressure on landlords to improve the quality of housing and contributes to high and rising rents. Importantly, these new housing pathways are particularly problematic for young people from low-income backgrounds, who cannot rely on help from their parents to support them with housing costs or to move into homeownership. In this context, the next chapter explores the impacts of these changes on the lived experience of young people and their families. 15

18 4. THE KNOCK-ON EFFECTS OF HOUSING UNDERSUPPLY ON YOUNG PEOPLE Young people are increasingly being forced to live in compromised ways often, this means not living in the location they want, in their preferred tenure, with whom they want, or in decent quality houses. This section sets out what our research uncovered about the social impacts that are the consequences of the pressures which undersupply has sparked, contributed to or entrenched. For most young people, these new ways of living are manageable in the short term but do not offer an attractive long-term solution. Our interviews with young people found that some people enjoy the social side of house sharing or the flexibility of renting. But critically undersupply and its direct impacts mean that there is no longer a functioning pathway for young people into sustainable, long-term housing. There are lots of other factors at play, including employment opportunities, debt and personal preferences, but our research suggests that the undersupply of housing itself has social consequences. As a result of undersupply, the housing market does not work as well for those who are looking to settle down and who no longer want the flexibility that renting offers, such as young people with children. Young people do manage to find housing solutions that work for them, to some degree, but many cannot see how their situation will ever change. As our interviewees shared, they cannot see how they could afford to move in with a partner, move out of a shared house, or buy a home. Right now, the idea of buying a home it s not even something I think about. Male, 26, London One interviewee, who had irregular work, could see little hope of moving out of his parents house into any form of rented or owned accommodation. I m really, really lucky that my parents are understanding the problem is I can t see a route out I can t see it ever changing. Male, 27, County Durham Our research has allowed us to look behind these trends to explore the impacts that these changes are having on young people and their families. Stifled ambitions for life and career One of the main social consequences of an undersupply of housing identified in our research is the stifling of young peoples ambitions for their lives and careers. Analysis of the labour force survey shows that the undersupply of housing is affecting household formation; in particular, it is leading to more young people living with their parents for longer. In 2011, nearly 3 million adults aged were living with their parents, an increase of almost half a million (20 per cent) since 1997, despite the fact that as a proportion of the population this age-group stayed largely the same (ONS 2012). This has had a negative impact on young people s ability to fulfil their potential. IPPR s polling showed that over a quarter (26 per cent) of young people living with their parents said that their current housing negatively affects their ability to achieve life goals that are important to them. For some, this meant that they were not able to forge their own identity. When I m by myself I feel like I can actually be the person I want to be, the full potential of who I am. I always feel like there s part of me who 16

19 I have to hide from [my parents] if that makes sense there might be parts of them that I don t want them to know about me. Female, 23, Sheffield Having a stable and grown-up housing situation was important to participants, especially those in their mid-to-late 20s. It contributed to their sense of progression and achievement in life. One of the interview participants, a teacher, talked about how living with her parents damaged her self-esteem and undermined her sense of pride professionally. It s not great when you re standing in front of the kids and talking about living at home with your mum and dad I think I would feel a bit more proud of myself if I was able to say I ve got my own place. Just when I talk to people in general, to be able to say yeah, I have bought my own house, I live on my own and I m quite independent I would like to be able to do that. Female, 26, Newcastle While there are a variety of factors contributing to such feelings, there was a clear connection to a person s housing situation. This was made explicit when talking about career ambitions, and applied to young people who were university-educated as well as those working in lower-skilled jobs. Across different groups, participants reported the different ways in which their housing situation limited their employment opportunities. This ranged from not being able to boost employment prospects by taking on short-term placements that might not lead to permanent work to being unable to study, because the loss of income would mean that they were unable to pay high housing costs. Such findings are consistent with the wider literature. In 2010, 12 per cent of people polled (5.6 million) said that high housing costs had affected their ability to move for work; among 18 to 34-year-olds, this was 18 per cent (Shelter 2010). Some of these concerns, such as low wages and the widespread use of short-term contracts, need to be addressed through reforms to labour market policy. But they also point to the need to better align policies to boost housing-building with the areas of the country where the jobs are now and where they are likely to be in the future. Lack of control and independence Young people want a home, not just a house. Our research found that, while the housing accessible to young people might provide the basic necessities of shelter, it doesn t necessarily deliver the other facets of a secure home. In many cases, the unaffordability of housing was leading to greater instability for young people. This instability extends to financial insecurity. For families, unaffordable housing can lead to greater volatility, restricting their ability to save and increasing their reliance on debt. Research undertaken by Shelter (2012b) shows that 16 per cent of renters are using credit cards and more worryingly more than 130,000 renters are using high-interest payday loans to meet their existing housing costs. Saving for a deposit or even for a rainy day is not possible in this context. For some, payday loans and short-term credit are shortterm solutions to a temporary problem, but for others a greater reliance on debt creates a cycle of increased vulnerability that can spiral very quickly (Ben-Galim and Lanning 2010). The sense of financial insecurity was acutely felt by some of the research participants. 17

20 After I ve paid for my travel, my food, bills and then rent, there really isn t a lot left each month. I haven t been away on holiday for three years, I don t buy new clothes, I try and go out nearby or have people over to save money on going out. I don t feel secure. Female, 28, London Living here takes over half my salary each month. I do need to be careful about what I spend saving s obviously out of the question. Male, 26, London Fears about physical safety and security were also expressed in terms of a lack of control. In IPPR s polling, a fifth (22 per cent) of young people who live in shared accommodation in a housing set-up with people they didn t know before they moved in said that their housing negatively affects their sense of safety and security. One participant described how she had no control over who comes in and out of her house. One of the girls I lived with her boyfriend, who was quite involved in drugs, and [with] him and his friends being there all the time, it didn t really feel like our home. It got to the point where we had to say he couldn t be there all the time we had to have it out it wasn t easy. Female, 23, Sheffield Constraints on relationships and starting a family The undersupply of housing also affects decisions on family planning. Although there are a number of factors that impact on the decision to have children, the availability and quality of housing emerged as an important contributing factor. There is a baby gap in the UK: the number of children that 20-somethings say they want is higher than the number of children actually born (Bhrolcháin et al 2010). There is a range of reasons for this gap, including decisions around work and career, increased participation in higher education (especially for women), relationship formation and stability, household finances, and the higher risks of infertility associated with later pregnancy. Nonetheless, research shows that housing seems to play a key role in decision-making about family formation. According to a Shelter poll, one in five 31 to 44-year-olds without children were delaying parenthood because of a lack of affordable housing (Shelter 2012c); Bramley et al (2010) argue that, for people aged 25 34, the sharp decline in household formation over the last decade is suggestive of the effects of housing affordability and supply difficulties. This theme was strong among many of our interviewees, particularly those who didn t own their home. The instability of renting was seen to be a contributing factor. If we were renting I would never feel secure I just couldn t do it, as it would be at the back of my mind the whole time the landlord could have us out in months. Maybe that s irrational but I want to have a family and for me that means getting married, having children and having a home. Female, 28, Cambridgeshire 18

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